Balance or Nothing
by Sin of the Fallen
Summary: "There must be balance...or nothing." When Ixis kills Alduin there is no longer a balance between them, so they are kicked out of Tamriel... Into Alagaesia. And they are bound together by destiny. In Alagaesia. Where bonds equal Dragon and Rider... For Annonimous4862. And go look at her awesome stuff!
1. Chapter 1

Ixis awoke with a sharp gasp, red eyes fluttering wide open. She was curled up on her side, on the ground, in the fetal position.

_Alduin._

The thought blasted her fully awake, and she immediately pushed herself up to sit straight. The abrupt movement caused black spots to dance on her vision, forcing her to close eyes and take a deep breath. She placed a cool hand to her forehead when she felt a headache coming. It took her quite a while to get herself together, more than enough time for her to notice she felt sore all over and that her mouth tasted like cave mushrooms.

When she finally got over the overall feeling of being stomped by a mammoth, she looked around to see she was in some unknown forest. How did she get there? When she entered Sovngarde, she had assumed if she ever returned, it would be to the same area, to find Odahviing waiting for her. Ixis frowned in confusion, reflexively tightening her grip on something she'd been unconsciously holding, and tried to remember.

She alone had slain Alduin, the three interlopers righteously cut down by the enraged dragon. Neither of the two had appreciated the inconvenient intruders trying to interfere with the fight they had been waiting for their entire lives, and the World-Eater had simply acted on their mutual displeasure.

The battle had been long – even within the timeless realm it had seemed to drag on into eternity. Ixis had brought sword, poison, magick and bow to bear on Alduin along with her Thu'um but he simply... matched her. She would Shout and he would fly away, he would call forth meteors and Ixis would scamper off to use her bow from far off. She couldn't have imagined they would be equals on the battlefield, but Sovngarde had proven them both wrong on that account.

Though they had sought to kill each other, at first it must have seemed like they had planned out a mock-battle. They both sensed what the other was about to do and smoothly countered it. It was damn annoying. Thankfully for her, she had found favor with the Prince of Luck despite the issue over claiming her soul.

Two lucky arrows blinded Alduin, and while he thrashed and screamed curses and Thu'um, she had exercised her good fortune and crawled onto the Dragon God's back. By all the Aedra and Daedra, Alduin had not liked- "Being ridden like some mortal's pony!"He started to try to fly while blinded, forcing Ixis into the actual business of Dragon riding, and unlike how she had ridden right behind Odahviing's head, Ixis only got as far as the base of Alduin's neck.

His general spikiness had provided her with plenty of handholds to hold onto, and after five minutes of barrelrolling, Alduin realized flying blind was idiotic since she was not going to fall off. As soon as he landed and started to make like he was going to roll on the ground, Ixis clambered up his neck and drove her sword to the hilt into his skull. She also pulled out her bow and proceeded to have several Sunhallowed arrows explode in Alduin's skull.

That was when she accidentally exploded herself off the dragon's head, and then the world went black and she knew no more. She blinked a bit.

Had she won?

Her attention was yanked to more immediate matters when something started squeaking and rocking in her arms. Ixis looked down in bewilderment. What on Nirn was she holding, and why was she cradling it like it was an Eye? She scrutinized it. It was an oval stone, and she had somehow embraced it without ever knowing it. She put it down right in front of her and observed the odd moving squeaking stone.

It was an obsidian colored rock rippled with scarlet veins, and she thought she could pick out gold specks. She touched it with a finger; it was warm and as smooth as Dwemer metal. But what sort of stone or gem produces its own warmth?

Ixis squinted crimson eyes and tilted her head slightly. In fact... She thought it looked rather sort of egg-like. Though she had no idea what would lay such an egg and then somehow curl her unconscious body around it – or why do it on first place. It was curious, and Ixis could not resist the temptation to not do the sensible thing and back off. She decided to see what would hatch, and her gut was telling her this was a most excellent idea.

The stone egg cracked with no warning about two minutes later, and the sound reminded Ixis of splitting boulders open with her pickaxe to find ore. And then something wet and upset burst out from the cracked shell. She couldn't tell what it was yet, since the poor cub was all tangled up in itself. She watched quietly as it picked itself up, stumbling and trembling from the strain of moving, and met its gaze.

Ixis made a low distressed sound, feeling as if someone had ripped out the foundation of her world.

A stunned baby Alduin was looking at her in wonder. He looked different, smaller and with four legs instead of wing-arms, but he possessed the burning orange eyes that only the World Eater had been graced with. He blinked at her and she blinked back, neither quite believing what was happening.

She was struck with an inexplicable urge to curl around the dragonling and lavish affection on him, her heart threatening to revolt at the sheer cuteness Alduin exhaled like he had once done with dominance. That was hands down the most adorable thing she had ever seen: Alduin was wearing a piece of shell like a dapper cap as he tried to stare her down.

_The hell?_

The reasonable part of her protested that this was her nemesis, but the unnatural maternal instincts she hadn't known she possessed were much stronger. She was one hundred per cent sure that Alduin must have been made for snuggling, not destroying, and was about to enact said snuggling when the dragon spoke.

"_Zu'u lost daal_."

_I have returned_. His voice squeaked like that of a trodden upon mouse.

Ixis could not help but coo softly Dragonish purrs at how Alduin was trying to be mighty. Why had she despised him again? He was much too cute for such nonsense! She reached out to bring him to her, but as soon as her left hand touched his head the world exploded with light and far too much mental pain


	2. Chapter 2

Once, Ixis could lay claim to experiencing nearly every kind and level of pain mortally imaginable. She had been cut, run through, shot, poisoned, Shouted at, diseased, and had broken too many bones to count. And that was pain made by physical means. With magic she had been burned, frozen, electrocuted, subjected to hallucinations, and had had nearly crippled her mind by combating certain Daedra. However, she was now learning that she had yet to suffer everything that was to be suffered.

When she touched Alduin with her hand a rush of energy traveled up through her arm to engulf her entire body and mind. The energy was burning, freezing, electrifying, all consuming, and nothing simultaneously. Ixis could feel it reach through her mental barriers into the very core of her mind and began to forge a connection to something she knew she could never break. But it did not stop there. The energy flowed ever inwards to touch her _Dovah Sil_ and began to... Alter it. Ixis felt her mind shrieking in terror as her soul was bound to another's.

Soon the energy began to recede, and she could feel another's terror and outrage as well as her own emotions, hear the shouting of another mind. Ixis felt both her horror and the other's at what had been done to them. And as suddenly as it had struck, the energy vanished, leaving behind only the bond that seemed to fill her head and heart to the brim. Ixis let out a broken whimper as sensation returned to her body.

She was shivering uncontrollably, her hand was numb, and the skin over her heart itched and burned. Ixis felt her pointed ears twitch as a pitiful sound rose in both reality and her mind. Alien pain and alarm surged into her thoughts as the other mind came out of its own pain. Ixis' alarm began to overwhelm her as suspicion crept in. While she had never communicated with her mind to another's, she knew how to do it and how to defend against intrusion.

'_Alduin? Is that you?_' A snort echoed along the bond even as the dragonling shook his head as he attempted to stand again. '_Good to know Vruuni Ronit can still recognize me, despite this._'

Ixis felt panic welling up within her, but as always humor overrode distress to poke fun at Alduin.

' "_Your destined rival" Alduin?_'

Alien alarm washed over her. _'How did you hear that?! I did not speak!_'

Ixis gave a slim smile to the startled dragonling as his head reared back.

_'Look at my lips Alduin. They're not moving, nor are yours. Drem yol lok Alduin, welcome to this bond and to my mind, emotions, and soul._' This time Alduin's wings rose and mantled above him, trying to seem more fearsome in light of a threat. She watched him, curiously calm despite the bizarre circumstances, as he made sure to speak aloud. Ixis could feel how natural it was to the both of them to continue conversing via the bond, but she attempted to fight the urge even as Alduin spoke.

'_Rah Wahlaan! What is this insanity Dovahkiin?! Why can you commune with me, the World Eater, with your mind? Why can I feel your emotions, your Dovah Sil?!_'

Ixis grimaced, watching as Alduin came ever closer as if she was exerting some sort of pull on him, and felt herself leaning forwards to touch him. Her mind warred silently behind multiple shields, the strange emotions fighting against her natural self. She tried to ignore how Alduin could feel her own confusion and frustrated fear, along with how their emotions merged and became one.

She spoke slowly, focusing on doing it verbally instead of telepathically. "I don't know Alduin, but I don't think the Aedra or Daedra are going to help us now. Can't you feel this bond, and how deep it runs, _Al-Du-In_?"

She pronounced the _Thu'um_ of his name, a silent wave of pressure rushing out of her mouth, to highlight the deeper nature of his Name.

'_Ziil gro dovah ulse._' The weight of her words, "_Your soul is bound to mine for eternity,_" threatened to shake the world and consume Alduin under their weight.

Ixis again waited calmly – too calmly, a part of her muttered – as Alduin plunged into the bond head first. He dove deeply, reaching the core of the link anchored in the center of their beings, and her soul pulsed in recognition of his. The World Eater roared indignantly and on every level Ixis perceived him, unable to accept he was now partnered to his enemy.

She watched with a wince as Alduin completely lost control of himself. The dragonling began tearing at the ground, screaming cries too full of emotion to put into words. A part of her noted his rage was aimed nowhere near her; then, the tsunami of his mind, emotions, and soul thundered through the bond. Ixis began drowning on him and retreated to her haven, her mental rock, clinging with ferocious tenacity, as Alduin began to consume what was "Ixis."

She thought of Odahviing, how he had carried her through the skies, and how he had shared the pleasure that was flying. She thought of Parthunax, the wise old dragon, and how he carried such sorrow and regret she could not comprehend how he still functioned. She thought of Ondolemar, the too merciful Thalmor and how he had once said "By the Nine!" She thought of Brynjolf, the thief who made her laugh, and how she had left him Dragon Tongue flowers as a silent apology for going to fulfill her life's purpose. She thought of them all, along with her other friends, her followers, and her lycanthropes and vampires. Ixis clung and remembered, wrapping herself in her memories to deflect Alduin.

Eventually the World Eater's rage subsided, leaving only weary and reluctant acceptance. The dragon, now tired, gave into the urge to crawl into Ixis' lap and refused to acknowledge how right it felt to do so.

"Dovahkiin?" He queried sharply as she did not respond at all to his relocation. He felt alarm, rearing up to hold her shoulders with his new limbs as his wings flared from his back to balance him.

Alduin looked into her unfocused red eyes and shouted "Dovahkiin!"

He shook her as best he could, but she still did not respond.

Eyes narrowing, Alduin succumbed to the urge to call to her via the bond. '_Dovahkiin_!' A slow thought eventually brushed his mind, like a touch so light he would have had to have it on his wing membranes to feel it. '_...Alduin? Are you calm again?_'

He huffed, a small puff of acrid black smoke emerging to tickle Ixis' nose. '_Yes_.' He felt the bond open again; he had been unaware it had closed, and it felt like regrowing a lost wing.

'_What was that Dovahkiin? You were...gone._' Her eyes refocused and met his, allowing his alarm to fade slightly. '_Your emotions. I could feel them perfectly, but the amount threatened to overload me. I retreated to a safe haven to withstand your storm. Luckily it worked, and it seems my sanity suffered little harm. Perhaps the bond shields our minds against such damage to each other?_' Alduin began to settle into her lap.

'_Perhaps. Who knows? Father must have had a hand in this though, there is none who would dare to alter his children..._'

Ixis wrapped her arms around him, unconsciously offering comfort, and Alduin refused to acknowledge the sense of content happiness he felt at her embrace. "Let's not do that again shall we? Much too unpleasant for this Mer." He snorted again, and could not stop the thought, '_Foolish elf_.'

Ixis laughed at his thought and all was well, until she replied, "At least I haven't shrunk, O mighty World Eater!" Alduin growled at her unreservedly and nipped her hand sharply, purposefully thinking this time, '_Of all the joore to be Dovahkiin, I am stuck with a stupid one._'

She laughed even harder and poked fun at him again, grateful that they were getting along. Alduin bantered back, along with another nip, and they settled into the pattern. It was the only soothing thing in this whole ridiculous situation.


	3. Chapter 3

Ixis crouched silently, watching intently as a herd of deer grazed several yards away in a clearing. Moonlight gave everything an otherworldly sheen, but she could still see perfectly fine.

Usually Ixis bought or stole whatever food she needed, but without knowing where she was, she didn't want to risk having a hungry Alduin on her hands. He was already grumpy enough, in her humblest opinion. Anxiously she set to watching the herd, trying to read their movements. She had never hunted before, and since she could not risk using her bow due to its enchantments, she was going to attempt to use magic. Divines and Princes help her.

She began to charge her hands with lightning, preparing two Bolts, and picked out a particularly large clump of deer. Their heads lifted from their grazing, ears swiveling to pinpoint the crackling sound and noses snuffling to seek out the origin of the ozone smell. Seeing her chance slipping away, Ixis tossed the two Bolts and hoped Hircine had let her aim true.

Agonized screams ripped their way out from the deer hit by the lightning spells, and they shortly fell down. Ixis only had a moment to be shocked that the spells had not backfired before the panicked flock started to stampede away from the fallen pair and right at her. She cursed Hircine as she attempted to gather magicka for a Familiar to herd the deer, but she found her energy had not recharged enough to summon the ghostly wolf. Having no other choice, Ixis Shouted "Fus Ro!"

The animals either swerved out of the way or were staggered by the Thu'um, but they were now panicking to get away from Ixis. The herd quickly regathered and ran from the clearing loudly, leaving behind a relieved Dragonborn and her dead prey. She snorted as she felt Alduin's focus shift to her and his mild curiosity trickled down through the bond.

'Nothing big. Just learned I'm a terrible hunter. Don't know why Hircine lets me be his Champion.'

'Another way you prove inferior to me, joore.'

She rolled her eyes, knowing he would feel it. 'Yeah. And remind me again who's taking care of your sorry self? Me! Unless you want to eat lichen-'

'Silence joore!'

Ixis snickered at him as she made her way across the clearing to the deer carcasses.

She started to gut the deer, pulling a basket out of her Inventory, and felt the tiny bit of magicka it consumed to return the item to its proper size. She'd paid the College to enchant the bag so that it miniaturized objects put inside it and enlarged items taken out, and it had been completely worth the twenty thousand gold.

Humming softly she put the entrails in the basket for Alduin and began to cull the venison off the bones. It was difficult but necessary work. Alduin had already eaten all the food she'd obtained in Sovngarde.

Once the meat was out into Inventory, Ixis swiftly skinned the deer and put their hides away. A small bit of anxiety at having left the tiny dragon alone for so long nipped at her, and whether it was hers or Alduin's she could not tell. He had just been reborn and he was still trying to adjust to the alterations of his spikey body.

This was likely the most vulnerable Alduin had ever been in his entire existence, and Ixis was intimately connected to him. She pondered the thought as the tedious work let her mind wander. He was once her greatest foe, still was her rival, but they were unavoidably allied and partners now.

Done with her hunting and her musings, Ixis sped her way back to their clearing with all due haste. She was no longer content to leave Alduin alone without shelter. Even as she ran across the mountain she made plans. They needed to find some sort of cave and prepare a base of operations.

She looked around the cave in satisfaction, thankful that they had finally found a cavern that could house a fully grown Alduin once he became as big as he had been. In the month they'd been in these mountains, Ixis and Alduin had searched more than twenty possible shelters, with Alduin pessimistically pointing out fatal flaws in each. He had been incredibly aggravating and smug the entire time and Ixis had near throttled the baby dragon.

The dragon walked over to and she watched as the wolf sized beast gracefully picked his way over the boulders that littered his path. It had taken him quite a while to adjust to having four proper legs, and he still forgot to tightly fold his wings to his back, but walking had come much faster than flying.

With four legs Alduin found he needed to completely relearn how to take off and land. His hind legs had proven to be too muscled, which upset his balance, and his front legs were still not as strong as they should be. Ixis had helped as much as his pride would let her while the World Eater was still tiny, but as he grew he rebuffed further help with a snarl.

"I must learn on my own, Dovahkiin. You cannot help me during battle."

While his words had had truth to them, Ixis had also noticed his progress had slowed considerably. Alduin simply could not do all the exercises Ixis had shown him for developing muscle in his legs, and those he could were awkward without assistance. But that had not dissuaded Alduin.

They had spent the next day arguing on and off over her name and Alduin's reluctance to use it. As usual, Ixis had pushed him into the blind rage he was afflicted with. He had grouched about it for several hours, some part of him fueling the petty grudge. Thankfully once she let him mock her hunting skills and magical prowess the air cleared.

But now that they had finally found a place that met their requirements, Ixis could finally get down to making a proper hideout. In her excitement she tried to include Alduin in the work, forgetting the dragon had never done a day's labor. She had naively thought he would like to be part of the process of getting comfortable.

"Hey Alduin! Incinerate every inch of this cave! We need it clean before I can start putting in flooring and furniture."

Alduin tried to stare her down, and Ixis felt the now familiar amusement at his failed attempt. The stubborn dragon had yet to give up his habit of literally looking down on her.

"I'm not going to waste my Thu'um in burning this cave clean. You do it. I'll go get the supplies."

Ixis put on her best hybrid between a smirk and a Thalmor Sneer, and as Alduin was about to leave she lazily drawled, "I should've known the World Eater didn't have the endurance anymore to do something as simple as burning a cave. But it's probably for the best that you get the stuff, else we would be stuck outside for at least a couple more days. You go get the stuff, I'll have it done by the time you get back."

Alduin stopped in his tracks, and Ixis did not need to feel his indignant anger and offended pride to know she had him. "You think you can do such a trifling thing better than I could Dovahkiin?! Come! Let us see who's Yol will win when you pit yourself against me!"

Alduin swiftly made his way over to what was roughly the center of the area, tail angrily thwacking her shins as he passed her. Ixis stifled a triumphant cackle. This may not have been the way she wanted to do it, but at least the job would get done now. She smirked at the impatient beast and began to walk over to him. She wondered what she had done to deserve such a moody dragon.

Once the cave was done, and by done it meant it fits Ixis' standards of comfort, Proudspire looked shoddily crafted in comparison. She had built a smithy, an enormous storage area, a kitchen, an enchanting area, a bath and personal quarters for them both. She had made what was once a nasty cave into their home away from home.

Ixis felt she was allowed some pride on this accomplishment, and she wondered if this was how the Dwemer had felt about their underground cities. If so, she felt particularly Dwemer-like. And she had to admire their good sense in using only rocks as building materials. The nonflammable properties of stone were damn near godly when Alduin invariably lost his temper.

Even Ixis' various Daedric artifacts eventually popped in, painfully landing on top of her in a great pile all at once, and Alduin left her buried under a mountain of priceless junk because he could not stop laughing. After that incident, she had devoted herself to getting to know the dragon.

The World Eater had never had an equal, a partner, or a friend before, and Ixis refused to be submissive to him, so Alduin saw her attempts as challenges or insults. If she were to be honest, she might have encouraged the contests because it was fun to win against such a sore loser, and she _did_get the better off some of their rivalries. For instance, he could hold Yol longer, but her Fus was much stronger than his. It appealed to her competitive side to fight against Alduin, and the challenges kept her on her toes.

But, Alduin... Ixis sighed. She had always accepted what Fate rendered irreversible better than most. She suspected the reason Alduin resisted her was because she did not resist him. They were opposite in every way, but Ixis wished the dragon would help her explore what had happened to them. Or at least not leave her alone. Theirs was supposed to be a two-way bond, and Alduin's adamant denial of her and the connection... Was affecting her.

The too silent pressure of the link was like being robbed of one of her senses, and she remembered Paarthurnax describing how the dragon in Dragonsreach earned its name from. The madness of being denied basic needs had settled in so completely that the dragon had been nameless when it died.

Her skin prickled as the intricate silver Seal of Akatosh that had manifested over her heart buzzed with energy. She knew somehow that Alduin had finally mastered his body and perfected his flight. Ixis looked at her pale grey hands as the energy throbbed with alien sorrow over her heart.

Why was she bonded to a dragon that had hated her even before she had been born? Perhaps she had not loathed Alduin personally, just sharply disliked his attempt to destroy her world, but that was no foundation for a link such as this. Ixis idly clenched a fist, wishing she had Auriel's Bow in her palm; the weapon was soothing to hold.

_'Perhaps I should go and gather information at that town at the base of the mountains. I may have robbed them blind of everything I needed, but stolen goods cannot speak,' _She thought to herself, careful to keep it out of the bond, even if Alduin could not hear her with the connection nearly asphyxiated.

It seemed like a good idea, so Ixis packed the Inventory as if she was going for a jaunt alone in Blackreach. She wondered if she should alert Alduin to what she was doing, but snorted at the thought of him caring about what she did or did not do.

_He'll be fine. Probably won't even notice I was gone till I get back._

The plan went right for once, and no one was currently trying to kill her. So why was she sobbing like her world had just crumbled beneath her fingers? Oh, right, it had.

/

Ixis carefully made her way down the mountain range and eventually came to a great waterfall. The village was close and she began to look for someone who would not be terribly missed for a few hours. However, even with her long experience as a markswoman and careful use of the Aura Whisper, she did not possess the sight needed. So Ixis went to village, skulking through the shadows and woods till she was able to select a spot for watching.

Time passed and so did people. They were of varying age, gender, and wealth but Ixis noted they all appeared to be of the same race. It seemed like the village was solely composed by Imperials and Nords. There was not even a hint of Mer or Beastfolk. Unusual, but not unknown in the eastern holds of Skyrim.

Her patience was soon rewarded, and as Ixis mentally sent thanks winging their way to her patron Aedra and Daedra, she leapt out and dragged a man into the she covered his mouth and put him in the sleeper hold, easily avoiding his uncoordinated flailing.

Ixis only let go once she was sure he was unconscious. Grumbling a bit, she threw him over her shoulder like a sack of cabbages and walked from the shadows and into the deep forest. No one would hear him now.

Ixis continued to mutter darkly about how much of a pain it was to safely and humanely retrieve information without alerting anyone. It was so much easier to rob people in the dark of night, like she had done to properly furnish her den. Pulling out some leather strips, Ixis bound his hands and feet before pulling out a potion she had purposefully ruined.

The derelict potion reeked like few things she had smelled, but it would certainly be the worst thing this man would ever sniff. Ixis sloshed the liquid in its container and decided it would serve admirably as a substitute for smelling salts. Uncorking it, she held it under the man's nose. She did not have to wait for more than half a minute before the man woke with shouted curses. Silently and without care she recorked the bottle, ignoring the man completely as she returned the vial to Inventory.

Done with her final task, Ixis progressed onto the next step of her plan. "Gol Hah Dov!"

With the full strength of the Thu'um the man had no choice but to become a slave to her will, but at least her Thu'um left her victim intelligent. Miraak's slaves had been decidedly short on aptitude, and though she could only control one being at a time, her slave was just as lasting and more alive. Assured that her safety and secrecy would remain intact, Ixis relaxed her crouch and sat down to cross her legs. She figured she would start with the basics.

"What is your name? What is the name of the village?" "Byrd. Carvahall."

Well, she had never heard of this village and she had never come across it before landing here.

"Name of the mountain range?"

"The Spine."

"What is the current situation now that the Dragons have ceased to be led by Alduin?"

"Dragons are extinct, save for King Galbatorix's dragon. I know of no 'Alduin.'"

Ixis blinked, shocked.

"Where are we in Tamriel that you have not heard news of Alduin World-Eater's return in Skyrim?" Byrd'

s politely blank face grew slack with confusion. "What is 'Tamriel?' What is 'Skyrim?' We are in Alagaesia, Carvahall is the farthest northern point of the Empire."

Horror was slowly creaping up on Ixis like the slow, slimy, terrifying feeling of Hermaeus Mora's tentacles encircling her to draw her into His endless library. She was not in Skyrim. She was not in Tamriel.

"By Akatosh-"

"What is 'Akatosh?'"

Clumsily Ixis fumbled for a Septim, her emotions rendering normally smooth motions jerky, and she held up the gold coin like it was a talisman against Byrd's words.

"Here is a Septim, our currency, named for the Septim dynasty. On one side there is the bust of Tiber Septim, the man who ascended to become one of the Divines known as Talos. On this side it bears the words "The Empire is Law. The Law is Sacred."

Flipping the coin over, she presented the other side to Byrd. "On this side is the Seal of Akatosh, with the words "Praise be, Akatosh and all the Divines."

Ixis's voice shifted from lecturing to authoritative. "Do you recognize this coin or anything on this coin in any shape, form, or fashion?"

Dumbly, Byrd blinked. "No, I do not save for the Empire. But we've only ever had Galbatorix to rule us. He made the Empire and this is not our currency, crowns."

Ixis could feel her emotions roar and boil, the information hitting the release on her suppressed feelings, but she clamped down on herself. She was determined to be professional about this and get her information, so she set about learning as much as Byrd knew about currency, trade, politics, geography, history, theology, and about the other races.

He proved to be a good source on general information, but he was only minimally educated. Ixis would likely need to nab a noble or perhaps a merchant for better information. After Ixis finished questioning Byrd she gave him a small bag of gold, once she scuffed away the glaring markings.

Judging by his face, and her new knowledge of just how rare the metal was, it was a sinfully obscene amount in Alagaesian standards. She ordered him to attempt to acquire proper cooking ingredients and a map of Alagaesia with the money, buy what he could, and return here and bury it in a sack at the base of a marked tree. After he did his task he would forget everything that had occurred and would not return to the clearing, thus insuring Ixis' continued safety.

Byrd nodded, face regaining some animation with clear orders to follow, and left Ixis to be alone once more.

/

Without having an audience to play for, Ixis began to tremble. She had never thought such a thing was possible, and even if she had known somewhere in the depths of her mind this was never Skyrim... How could she had guessed the truth? Ixis began sobbing, deep, jagged cries, as the full force of her emotions made themselves known. All of the sentiments she had suppressed erupted, took up arms and went to war.

Hysterically she laughed through her crying, loud, high, and brittle. Instead of breaking down over the binding of their souls like Alduin, Ixis was breaking over a measly Septim. The madness of her reaction had her laughing insanely for a goodly amount of time. Wide red eyes leaked fat, bitter tears in wet streams as Ixis started to comprehend what this act of Fate had cost her.

She let out low wounded noises as her mind helpfully reminded her what it meant to be stuck here in Alagaesia with no way back. She would never again see her Guild call out greetings, her College cluck despairingly over her magical skills, her Companions play fight, her housecarls mourn her loot intake, her friends- She hiccupped in despair as the laughter left. The list went on and on and on.

She gasped frantically, trying to tread water in the ocean of her loss. Ixis wanted to scream and rage, curse the Nine and Sixteen, and offer anything so she could go back. But she could not get home even if she offered this entire world as her bargaining chip. She could not recreate the events that brought her here, and she could not hope the man was simply a woefully ignorant dolt.

He could have never heard of the Empire or Tiber Septim or Talos, but Akatosh? No. Her Father was represented in every pantheon that worshiped the divines, even the Dwemer had acknowledged his power. Tamriel could not be atheist even it wanted to; the Daedric Princes, at the very least, would never stand for the insult. Ixis was in another world and stuck with only a cold, indifferent Alduin for her solace.

Overwhelmed with the all devouring nature of her grief, Ixis mournfully called for those she longed for, futile Thu'um echoing throughout the range in a haunting refrain. Rage like she had rarely known boiled within her at her immeasurable loss when she had done as commanded and fulfilled her doom. Ixis' shoulders bowed and her head fell to her chest.

Even as wretched as she was, Ixis refused to break under the weight of her emotions and give into the fell wrath her Dovah Sil yearned for. Twice was enough. Brynjolf and Ondolemar had both begged her to never willingly surrender again, not for their sake or anyone else's. They had feared thrice would be the number she could not overcome.

Frantic to regain control of herself, Ixis tried humming but she found it only served to distract her rage; Brynjolf had unwittingly taught her it. Her sorrow, grief, and loss were implacable in whatever defense she threw at them. Ixis found her ability to repress and compartmentalize her negative emotions useless in the face of what had been stolen from her; there was no is silver lining she could see and cling to.

Ixis was swallowed and began to drown as she found herself trapped in an endless, downwards spiral. Time was lost to her and so were Alduin's mental calls, reduced to white noise. When she became aware again it was the darkest hour of night, alien stars filling the sky, and Alduin was curled around her body and mind.

A sense of worry came from the fallen dragon god, but he did not speak at all. Ixis realized the bond was now as open as it had been before Alduin learnt how to weld it shut. Her grief was bearable with two minds and hearts to carry it, and her loss no longer threatened to drown her when she waas no longer the only one braving the storm. Alduin curled tighter around her as if he was ashamed of imposing her total isolation. Numbly, she wondered if he did regret essentially abandoning her when she could not abandon him.

He did not answer her, but Ixis didn't know if the thought even touched the bond. All Alduin did was simply offer his strength and himself to endure and eventually overcome the turmoil in her soul. Gratefully and greedily, she took all he offered and feet the first spark of hope. Perhaps there was something to gain from all of this.

She was stuck in another world with only Alduin as her ally, and he with her. They did not like each other, yet they were bound together anyway. Perhaps she would find she had not lost everything just yet.


End file.
